1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electronic device, and more particularly, to an apparatus, a method, and a computer-readable recording medium for executing a plurality of objects displayed on a screen of an electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A touch screen is configured by combining a touch panel with a display device. The touch screen is widely used in various electronic devices including, for example, a mobile device, a navigator, a TeleVision (TV), an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) of a bank, a Point Of Sale (POS) device of a shop, and the like. Use of the touch screen is advantageous in that it allows for convenient user command input without the need for a keyboard or a mouse.
Since a mobile device provides additional services and functions, the mobile device provides Graphic User Interfaces (GUIs) on a touch screen.
Besides basic applications developed and installed in the mobile device by a manufacturer, the user of the mobile device can download applications from an application store over the Internet and install the applications in the mobile device. Ordinary developers may develop such applications and register them in application stores on the Web. Accordingly, anyone can sell developed applications to mobile users in application stores through the Internet. As a consequence, tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of applications are available to mobile devices.
At least tens to hundreds of applications are stored in a mobile device such as, for example, a smartphone or a tablet Personal Computer (PC), and shortcut keys are displayed as icons to execute the individual applications on the touch screen of the mobile device. Thus, the user can execute an intended application in the mobile device by selecting (e.g., touching) an icon representing the application on the touch screen. Besides the shortcut keys, many other visual objects such as widgets, pictures, and documents are displayed on the touch screen of the mobile device.
During execution of a specific function and program, another application may need to be executed to view other information. Thus, the user moves a program being executed in the foreground to the background by pressing a predetermined button (e.g., a home key), invokes an idle screen, and then selects and executes the other application.
As described above, when a user wants to execute another function when a specific function and program is being executed, the user should invoke an idle screen by pressing a predetermined key such as, for example, a home key and then execute the intended function. Therefore, program switching and execution can become inconvenient for the user.